Thursday, May 21, 2009

5/20 Roundup and News

I'm starting to think Ma Hae-yeong didn't actually see anyone take steroids. He's gone from "more than ten" to "single digits" in the matter of days. We know Danny Rios was on them, but is there really anyone else from the past few years that really needs to be looked at? How about a look at the Doosan clubhouse where Rios pitched? Wild speculation here, but how about former Samsung/Hyundai slugger Shim Chang-soo? He showed a ton of power early, only to break down from injuries when he was only 33. Doesn't he fit the "steroid profile" more than some of the foreign sluggers?

If you're a foreigner living in Korea and want to get really pissed off, read this article. The money quote...“Whenever a foreign player who is performing well is seen taking something, players get curious,” the former trainer said. “Foreign players offered banned substances to their teammates whenever approached without hesitation.” Really? Where, exactly, would one get banned substances from in Korea? A trainer perhaps? Scumbag. You know, just on a percentage basis, wouldn't Korean guys be more likely to take PEDs in the KBO? The league is, what, 98% Korean? Come on. I hope Ma sells a lot of books to make this all worth it.

I'm all worked up on a Thursday afternoon. On to the effing roundup...

Lotte 11, Doosan 6
W - Jang Won-joon (3-4), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (2-2)

How did Lotte score 11 runs without a single homer? The bottom third of the order came up big. The Lotte #7, #8 and #9 hitters combined to go 5-10 with 3 walks, 7 RBIs and 2 runs scored. #8 hitter Kim Min-seong drove in 4 runs. Jeong Won-joon ate up more than a few innings and didn't allow Doosan to get deep into Lotte's mediocre bullpen. Jang tossed 7 innings(102 pitches, 68 strikes) while allowing 4 runs. Jang gave up 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.

Seoul Heroes 7, Hanhwa 6
W - Shin Cheol-in (2-1), L -Brad Thomas (0-2), S - Hwang Doo-seong (7)

Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho powered the Eagles to an early lead with an RBI singles in the 1st and 3rd innings and a solo homer in the 5th. Hanhwa took a 6-5 lead into the 9th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and Brad Thomas on the mound for Hanhwa, Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun hit a single through the left side. Lee's base hit scored both runners and gave the Heroes a 7-6 lead. I guess Brad Thomas wasn't using the good steroids today. Heroes closer Hwang Doo-seong tossed a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Doug Clark hit leadoff for the Heroes today. That's new. Clark finished the day 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. PEDS!!!!!!

SK 10, Samsung 0
W - Song Eun-beom (6-0), L - Cha Woo-chan (1-3)

You know, 10-0 is really lopsided and that makes this sound close. Samsung never had a prayer in this one. The Wyverns took batting practice off whichever zombie was brought in and Song Eun-beom pitched 7 innings(99 pitches, 65 strikes) of shutout baseball without breaking a sweat. Song allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong hit a baseball that landed in Incheon sometime this afternoon. His 2-run homer in the 3rd inning cleared the left field fence by about 25 feet. SK Center fielder Kim Sang-min had a solid day against some rotten pitching. He finished 3-6 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Moving on...

KIA 4, LG 2
W - Yang Hyeon-jong (5-1), L - Choi Won-ho (3-2), S - Yoon Seok-min (7)

KIA got just enough pitching and just enough offense to beat LG. The key to LG is homers, if they hit them in bunches, the tend to win. KIA pitching only surrendered a solo homer to 1st baseman Choi Dong-su in the 2nd inning. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong wasn't spectacular, but he did enough to win. Yang tossed 5 2/3 innings(89 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. KIA closer Yoon Seok-min worked both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the save. He only struck out 2 batters this time. In the month of May, Yoon has allowed only 9 baserunners in 17 innings while maintaining a 1.59 ERA.

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